


A Mysterious Thing

by mysterKey



Series: Blood Bound [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Blood, Hunters, M/M, Supernatural - Freeform, Vampires, im still really bad at tagging yikes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 12:22:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17446904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysterKey/pseuds/mysterKey
Summary: “You're bleeding.” It's a matter of a fact. This probably wasn't the best place to bleed out, whether on purpose or accidentally.The man opens his eyes, head still tilted backward, finally noticing Taeyong leaning back against the wall. He chuckles, the moonlight glimmering off of his pearly teeth, “Are you saying that because you're concerned or because you want to taste it?”





	A Mysterious Thing

**Author's Note:**

> So this is kind of a prequel to the first part of this series but it can stand alone for the most part. This is very unbeta'd because i don't have writing friends so rip if there are mistakes
> 
> have fun reading~

The smell permeates the frigid night air, the iron stench is strong. Taeyong had thought that when he escaped through the back of the club that the smell of blood and sweat and desire would dissipate. Nothing ever seems to make it go away. Ever since the addition of feeding rooms in the back, the ambiance of the club hasn't been the same. It’s been thirty years since, and it still makes his stomach queasy.

He discards the cigarette on the ground, snuffing out the final embers with the sole of his shoe. These days the burning of his lungs were the only thing reminding him that he was alive, or as alive as a vampire could be at this point. Not even the icy air could make an impact on his hardened skin.

“Fuck.” A man curses, fumbling into the alleyway. The man smells of blood, his hand is stained red. The man tilts his head back sniffing, wiping at his nose. Even under the dingy street lights of the back alley, a nose bleed wouldn’t be hard to miss.

“You're bleeding.” It's a matter of a fact. This probably wasn't the best place to bleed out, whether on purpose or accidentally.  

The man opens his eyes, head still tilted backward, finally noticing Taeyong leaning back against the wall. He chuckles, the moonlight glimmering off of his pearly teeth, “Are you saying that because you're concerned or because you want to taste it?”  

The response takes the vampire by surprise. He knew. Finding humans in the club that didn’t know of vampires existing was rare, most of them coming precisely to interact with the supernatural and undead. “Don’t people recommend that you tilt your head forward so that you don't choke on your own blood?”

“Maybe that's exactly what I want?” The human says but moves his head forward anyways. “You're pretty calm around blood for a vampire.”

“I've been alive too long to overreact to the sight of blood.” Taeyong moves closer to the bleeding human, extending a handkerchief to the man. “What are you doing in a place like this? Since you clearly know what kind of a club this is.”

The man accepts the cloth pressing it up against his nose, “The same reason why any other human ends up in a club like this.”

“You want to be a blood bag?” Blood bag. The term for humans willingly giving their blood to vampires to chase the high that it gave. It was pretty common these days, an agreement between vampires and humans. Of course, there were other ways to get blood. Taking blood without consent was forbidden under vampire laws. A human blood bag was the next best thing.  

“Of course not. For a good time.” The bleeding seems to be letting up, the time between the man’s dabbing at his nose increasing. “I'm Ten. You?”

“Taeyong.” And that was the start of whatever they were.

 

“That guy over there is looking at you.” Jaehyun nods his head in the direction of the bar. Ever since the moment they got to the bar, Taeyong had been there babying some drink in his hand, trying not to make it obvious that he had noticed the human come in.  

“I know.” Ten responds, throwing his head back feeling the music. And perhaps edging the vampire on at the mere sight of his neck.

“And you're fine with that? I thought that you weren't into that?” There's no judgment in Jaehyun's voice, there couldn’t be when Jaehyun had his own encounters with vampires. The question was natural given Ten's dislike of the blood bag culture.

He rolls his eyes, “I'm not about to have him suck at my neck Jaehyun. Suck me off though? Maybe.”

“You're too much Ten.” Jaehyun laughs.

“What? After living a couple of centuries, I'm sure he'd have a thing or two to teach me.” Ten detaches himself from Jaehyun's side to meet up with the brooding vampire. Telling his roommate not to wait up for him, if he didn’t come home before dawn.  “You come here often.” It was less of a pickup line and more of an observation.

The vampire flicks his eyes over to Ten, facial expression not changing. “I own the place.” Or at least half owned it. About a century ago, Johnny and he decided to open the place as a safe haven for vampires right underneath the nose of humans. Over the years it had become a staple within the community, even after the existence of vampires became public knowledge.

“I thought Johnny owned this place?”

“You know Johnny?” It was genuine curiosity. Taeyong had never seen them interact, given that Taeyong came here often enough, he doubts that he would've missed something like that.

Ten shrugs, “I know a lot of people.”

“And a lot of people know you.” Taeyong agrees with a nod, his face remaining neutral. “The pretty human with the shining smile but eyes filled with sin.”

“Have you been asking about me Taeyong?” Ten raises an eyebrow, leaning forward onto the bar, narrowing the space between the two men.

Yes, would be too simple of an answer. He asked one person about the human after Ten had left that night. He'd gone to one of the bartenders, Mark, as they were cleaning up after losing. The mention of Ten had attracted the other too nosy bartenders that were more interested in their boss’ life than their own job. He'd found out that Ten frequented the club and has caught the eye of many suitors, although never pursuing any of those advances past the club doors.

“He is everything that I aspire to be.” Haechan gushed. A compliment that he never expected from the all too confident younger vampire. “What? The guy exudes power. It's almost scary considering he's human.”

Scary. That was exactly what Taeyong would call Ten in this moment. “Maybe?” Taeyong offers, playing into the human’s game.

“That isn’t fair.” The human pouts, “I have no one to ask about you.” That was a lie. Give Ten a couple of minutes with any other vampire and he could charm them into telling him quite a bit. But in his opinion, nothing was better than getting that information from the source. Especially when the source was that pleasant to look at.

“It’s best if you don’t.”

“Really, you think so?” Ten smiles, running his tongue over his front teeth in a way that was nothing short of vampiric. Taeyong was his prey, and he was willingly falling into the other man’s trap. If Taeyong hadn’t known any better, he would think that Ten himself was a vampire. “And yet here we are.”

“Have a drink on the house.” Taeyong hadn’t even noticed Haechan approach, two cocktail glasses in hand. “Maybe it’ll help dissolve the sexual tension going on here.” Despite being good at his job, he was definitely a better bartender than Mark was, he was certainly too involved for his own good. Ten smiles accepting the fruity beverage. “I’m totally in favor of whatever is going on here. And I support you, boss. If I didn’t have a boyfriend, I’d want in.”

“Haechan!” Mark screeches, wrapping his arm firmly around Haechan’s neck. “Sorry, for the inconvenience. My boyfriend is out of his mind.” He swiftly drags the other bartender away.

“The kids are cute. He can make a good drink though, you should keep him.” Ten slurps down the remaining of the liquid, setting the glass down in exact movements. “Well, I should go.” The human reaches into his pocket, producing a neatly folded piece of paper, sliding it across the bar table so that it’s left for Taeyong. “Here. In case you ever want to you know, dissolve the sexual tension.”

 

The human doesn’t show up to the club for the next two weeks. Not that Taeyong was deliberately looking for the human. He didn’t go to the club for leisure nearly enough to be able to search for him. Haechan felt the need to keep him updated on whether the human had made an appearance or not. But on the day that the vampire so happened to need to be in the club because Johnny couldn’t, of course, Ten appeared looking the best Taeyong had ever seen him.

“You didn’t call me, I’m disappointed.” Ten appears behind him. His eyelids are shimmering with glitter, a thick black line going across his lash line. In Taeyong’s opinion, the human’s eyes sparkled on their own without the flair of eyeshadow.  The vampire’s eyes travel further down the human’s body. The black choker wrapped tightly around his neck. The all-black attire, a flowy button down open just enough to tease and the black pants tight around all the right places. Ten laughs, noticing the way Taeyong’s eyes wandered.

“I was busy.”

Ten hums to his response, surely not believing any of it. “Are you busy now?”

 

Busy? Sure Taeyong was busy. Busy sucking on Ten’s neck. Taeyong doesn’t remember the last time he allowed himself to completely give into temptation. Perhaps the summer of 1902, before he decided that he needed to be responsible. He had passed his reckless phase that came with newly found vampirism but still had some difficulty controlling himself when all things aligned. These days, he was the pinnacle of control. Haechan would go as far as to say he had a stick up his ass. This was the price he had to pay when he felt responsible for Haechan and Mark and maybe even Johnny.

If Haechan could see him now, the younger vampire would be proud. They barely made it past Taeyong’s front door without latching at each other, but now with Ten’s back pressed against the door, working at the human's neck. As stereotypical as it sounded, Taeyong had a fascination with necks. The protruding jugular vein running up the side of the neck practically called out to vampires. Although, Taeyong can barely remember the last time he drank from a human let alone their neck. And of course, Ten had to decorate his so prettily with a choker and more chains layered underneath.

“You do this on purpose, don’t you? Tempt vampires?” Taeyong says against the human’s neck.

“A little bit.” He breathes, laughing as he cards his hands through Taeyong’s hair.   

“You’re playing a dangerous game.”

“It’s only dangerous when you’re not in control.”

“Are you in control? Even here?”

“Especially here.” Ten's grip on Taeyong's hair tightens, lifting the vampire’s head so that they're face to face. “Where's your bedroom?”

“Down the hall to the right.”

“What are we waiting for then?”

Ten flings the vampire back onto the bed the moment they enter the dimly lit room. The bed waxes and wanes under Taeyong, creaking under his weight. Ten stands in front of him, slowly unbuttoning his shirt, enjoying the burn of Taeyong's gaze. His shirt falls to the ground, a dark tattoo on his side.

Ten crawls on top of him, the bed groaning. The human settles on his lap, right below anywhere that would give Taeyong enough friction to get him closer to nirvana. Taeyong can see his tattoo better from here. A pocket watch bordered by two flowers. The silver chain hanging around his neck ends in a dagger, a vine wrapped around it.

“You're a hunter?” Well, this was a turn of events. That explains how easily the man could seduce supernatural creatures. Was this how he'd die? At the hands of a hunter as they were to go to bed.

“I come from a long line of hunters.” Ten plays with the pendant between his fingers looking upon it with a fondness. “My family has been out of the business for generations but we still have the charms and all of that. The hexes on them have grown pretty weak though. I haven't gotten them renewed.”

“Oh.”

“Does that make you uncomfortable?”

“Not really.”

He smirks, “Good.”

 

 

That's the start of their thing. Taeyong refuses to call it anything other than a thing, that would make it much more than what it was. And it wasn’t anything other than a thing despite the smug look on Haechan’s face whenever Ten came around. Or the stupid grin Johnny gave him when he noticed the garish marks along his collarbones. And even now as they lay in Taeyong’s bed looking at the ceiling, Ten playing with the bracelets on Taeyong’s wrist.  

“What was life like before you were turned?” Ten asks, his breath tickling Taeyong’s bare chest.

“Are you curious about me, Ten?”

“I’m sleeping with you, why not know more about you?”

Taeyong hums, placing a kiss on the crown of Ten’s hair. He smells of lavender, Taeyong’s shampoo. He’d gotten in the habit of using it whenever he would come over to Taeyong’s loft. “Back in the eighteen hundreds, life was different? My family wasn’t poor but still, life was tough. I started working when I was nine to help my family with funds. There wasn’t much for children my age to do then.”

The human hums, encouraging the elder to go on. Ten has never heard this sort of wistful tone in Taeyong’s voice before. Taeyong always seemed indifferent, having perfected the cold image that he was known for over the last few decades.  

“When I was about twenty I got involved with the wrong sort of people. I stayed with that group of people until I was twenty-four, then they asked me to do something that I wasn’t willing to do. Getting into the group was easy, leaving meant death. They took me out to the woods one night and beat me senseless. Every punch and kick felt like I was inching towards death. I laid there on the ground, staring up at the moon through the leaves thinking that it would be my final moments. I didn’t even say goodbye to my family.”

“But the next day, I woke up feeling completely rejuvenated. My maker gave me a choice. Complete the transformation process or the men would be back for me once as they realized I wasn’t dead. So I chose what I needed to in order to keep myself and my family safe. When I walked back into town, the utter look of fear on their faces, I will never forget it. Nor will I forget the joy that I felt, picking them off one by one.”

“You killed them?”

“Sucked them completely dry of every bit of blood in their body. I was crazed for days. I’ve done a lot of worse things. Some things that I’m not exactly proud of but I don’t regret it. But if that scares you, here’s your opportunity to run.”

Ten laces their fingers together, letting their hands rest on Taeyong’s chest. “That’s not you anymore.”

He chuckles. “I’d like to think that too. After I was done with my spree, my maker told me that I had to leave behind my family. It was hard to come to terms with at first, but I understood it. I was a danger to myself and my family and it would only be so long before they started to question why I wasn’t aging. So we left in the middle of the night. I lived lavishly as we traveled and learned how to control my blood lust and vampiric laws. There weren’t many back then, we hadn’t banded together at that point. Now we have more order.”

“Have you ever turned someone?” Taeyong becomes still. The question must be a sore topic.

“Yes, it is not my most proud moment. I was rash and didn’t seek approval of my maker. It was a disaster, but I think that Mark turned out okay.”

“You’re Mark’s maker?” No wonder the kid looked up to Taeyong so much. He probably felt somewhat indebted to Taeyong.   

“My maker and I spent some time in Vancouver in the very early nineteen hundreds. At the time, Mark reminded me a lot of myself. So I gave him a choice to continue his life the way it was going or to be reborn again. He chose the latter.”  

“Is your maker still around?”

“After you pass your fledgling stage you don’t need to stick by your maker anymore. I returned here and my maker travels. He stops by from time to time. His name is Taeil.”

“Thanks for telling me this. You don’t really talk much about yourself.”

“We don’t really do much talking.”

“Touche.”

“I have a long past and not all of it is pretty.”

“Do you think that I’m some angel? I’ve done wrong too. But we grow.”   

 

The scream chills Ten’s blood. He hadn’t expected Taeyong’s home to be dimly lit when he arrived. Another blood-curdling scream follows. Ten comes to his senses. It’s Taeyong’s screams. He’d have to go to him wherever he is. The noises lead him to Taeyong’s room.

Taeyong lies on the ground, curled up on himself in pain. Ten kneels down next to him, turning him over on his back. Sweat along his brows and his face contorted. “Taeyong, what’s wrong?

“It hurts.” He shakes. Ten has seen this plenty of times before. Withdrawal. He just hadn’t thought Taeyong would be stupid enough to allow himself to get to the point of reaching here.

“Where are your blood bags?” Taeyong had told him before that he refused to feed any way other than blood bags. There had been a period during the nineteen hundreds where it was illegal to feed off of humans when hunters had the most power. After those laws were lifted, it left Taeyong without control over himself. He refused to explain anything more to Ten than it was simply a mistake he never wanted to relive. His sole regret.

“I ran out.” That was unlike him.

“And how quickly can you get new ones?” Ten already knew the answer. With all of their laws, it would take at least a day for his request to be approved. They didn’t have another day before Taeyong would want to claw his skin off. “Drink my blood.”

Taeyong turns away, “I can’t do that.”

“I know that you’re afraid of losing control. But I trust you. And besides, I’m a hunter I can kick your ass.”

“I don’t trust myself.” He cries out.

“Well, I’m not going to sit here and watch you shrivel up.” Ten drags the tip of his dagger pendant across his wrist producing a sliver of blood.

“No.” Taeyong can barely protest before Ten presses his wrist against Taeyong’s mouth. He’s met with resistance at first, but the vampire becomes slack at the taste of the blood. He’s forgotten how different blood tastes when it comes from the source. Ten didn’t know what to expect from having his blood sucked. He’d always heard from his blood bag friends that it was euphoric. This wasn’t quite that. It’s strange but not unpleasant. There was no pain, simply a dull throbbing feeling. At least Taeyong seems pleased.

When the color returns to Taeyong’s face, Ten pulls his hand away with little protest from Taeyong.  “Why would you?”

“Shut up. Give me your phone.”

“It’s on the nightstand.”  

He dials the one person that he knows will do anything for Taeyong. “Do you have blood?”

“Why would you need it?” Mark sounds confused as always.

“Taeyong is stupid.”

“Why didn’t you just say that to begin with?”

Mark easily brings over the blood bags from his own stock for Taeyong. He doesn’t ask any questions. Not about why Ten was there. Or how Taeyong had gotten himself to this state. Or why Ten’s blood was all over Taeyong’s mouth. Why hadn’t Taeyong asked Mark to begin with when the boy would do anything to protect him? It made no sense to him.

“You should go.” He finally says when he’s done supplying Taeyong.  

“Will he be alright?”

Mark nods, “He’ll be fine by the morning, but you shouldn’t be here when he does.”

“I understand.”

“Why did you let him drink your blood when you know he hates it?”

“Because I care about him? Because I don’t want to see him suffer?”

“He won’t like that.”

“I know.”

 

It’s dead silence after that. Taeyong doesn’t respond to his texts. He never answers the door whenever Ten comes around if he’s even in his house. The lights haven’t been on each time that he went around. Jaehyun says he’s never in the bar when he frequents. And it goes on like that for a week and a half before Ten gets tired of it. He heads straight to the bar, Haechan is alone serving the guests. Mark is nowhere in sight and that’s exactly what he wants.

“Where’s Taeyong?” Haechan blinks, surprised that Ten is here.

“Who?” He asks finishing off the drink he’s working on.

“Don’t play stupid with me Haechan. I know that you know where he is.” The only person that Mark depended on more than Taeyong was Haechan. There would be no way that Haechan wouldn’t know of Taeyong’s location if Mark was involved with it.   

“Unfortunately for you, Mark told me not to tell you about it and the only person I kind of listen to is Mark.”

“I’m guessing that he isn’t at your place, that would be too easy. So, who is the next person that Taeyong trusts? Johnny, is it? Now I wonder where he lives.” Haechan doesn’t falter at the mention of Johnny’s name. Silence from Haechan meant that he was onto something.

The young vampire shrugs, “I wouldn’t know. But I hear that he lives on top of the club. A nice little loft. Not that I’ve been there before or anything. But the elevator to go up is around back and the code is seven, one, two, zero.”

“I’ll be forever in your debt Lee Haechan!”

 

“Lee Taeyong!” Ten bangs on the door like a lunatic. “I know that you’re in there you fucking coward. Open the fucking door!” If the door was his face, Ten wouldn’t hesitate to smash it in. He didn’t need an angry Johnny on his heel, dude was a fucking giant. “Taeyong, stop shutting me out!”

The door swings open, Ten's fist stopping mid-swing. Taeyong stands there looking just fine. Part of Ten wished that Taeyong had been deathly ill to make up for the fact that the vampire was completely ignoring him. “You're going to give Johnny an aneurysm.”

“You're a fucking asshole!”

“I know.” Taeyong's eyes are downcast, afraid that looking at Ten in the eyes would break him.

“Why are you fucking avoiding me?” Ten pushes past Taeyong and enters the apartment, he figures this conversation wouldn't be best in the hallway.

Johnny makes a quick escape out the door not before saying, “Don't kill him, Ten.”

“You won't like the answer.”

“I don’t like that fucking answer either so try me.”

“Why did you give me your blood?”

“Is this what this is about? My blood?” Why did Taeyong have to be so dramatic? For God's sake, it probably only took a day for his blood volume to replenish. And maybe a week for his platelets. Point being blood didn't mean nearly that much when it regenerates on its own.  

“You can't just go about giving anyone your blood.”

“You're not just anyone and besides who the fuck cares?” Hell, his club served as a prime location between this sort of exchange between humans and vampires. “What was I supposed to do? Sit there and watch you shrivel away and scream in pain?”

“Yes? This isn't what our relationship is about. I told you that I don't drink from humans.”

“I didn't know that that included when you’re on the verge of death.”

“I could've hurt you.”

“I know you. You wouldn't have.”

“You don’t know me!” The tone of Taeyong's voice sends a shiver through Ten's body. “I know that the past few months we've been having this thing but that doesn't mean that you know me.”

“Thanks for making that clear for me.” He chuckles bitterly.  

“Ten, you don't understand.” That much the vampire had made clear.

“Maybe if you stopped depriving yourself you'd stop being terrified of slipping up when you get the slightest taste.” Ten growls, stepping dangerously close to the vampire. He might stand taller than the human but Ten wasn’t one to back down, certainly not when he was being snubbed.

“I can't do that again.” He counters.

“Is that what it is? Your biggest regret?”

“What?” Ten was always so much sharp, smarter than he needed to be. Able to deduce things from mere words and displays of emotions. Is that what drew Taeyong to him all along?  

“It is, isn't it? That’s why you’re avoiding me? Because I remind you of your biggest regret?”

Taeyong changes the subject instead of acknowledging Ten’s statement, “I thought that you didn’t believe in blood bag culture.”

“Is that all that I would be to you?” Ten rasps. There are tears budding at the corner of his eyes but he refuses to let them drop. He couldn’t cry. Not here. Not in front of Taeyong.

Taeyong turns away, “We should stop this. Whatever we are.”

“So instead of talking about it, you're willing to cut me off instead? I didn't know that you were that kind of person.”

“It's what's best for you.”

“You clearly don't fucking know me.” He tries to spit the words out with as much venom as he can muster but the words come out more pathetic than he intended. Is he mad? Maybe. Hurt? Definitely. Would the vampire even be able to understand it? That’s where he fucked up. Getting feelings involved. He wouldn’t be making that mistake again. “You know what, fuck you Taeyong. When you finally get over yourself, call me. Or better yet, don’t.”

If you ask Taeyong about it later, he’d say that it’s the reverberation of Ten slamming the door shut that made his heart quiver. Not the fear of Ten slipping right through his finger that made his long dead heart thump in his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> Sometime in between this and the first part of the series they reconcile and begin a mostly blood letting relationship. How did that happen? idk maybe I'll write that later or you can let your imagination run wild
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!!! Thank you fo reading. 
> 
> Wanna talk about how hot Ten is in the WavY teasers? I'm your gal
> 
> (also i start my spring semester in a week and a half so lol this might be the last thing for a while rip)


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